Column: What Is God Like? — Omnipresence
Published 10:52 am Monday, April 15, 2024
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By Hank Walker | Pastor at Peach City Fellowship
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Ps. 139:7-10).
Psalm 139 is a Davidic masterpiece, expressing the glory of God’s perfections. Blending theology (the proper knowledge of God) and doxology (the proper worship of God), David—inspired by the Holy Spirit—acknowledges the ineffable (too great for words) omnipresence of God, but in ways that we mere mortals can grasp.
Divine OMNIPRESENCE—that God is ever-present, everywhere, always, at the same time—is beyond human comprehension. The more one considers this biblical doctrine, the more one is overwhelmed by the “bigness” of God.
Consider these two key aspects of Omnipresence: (1.) God is immaterial (spirit) and He “fills” His creation—YET He is not “diffused.” That is, unlike a gas, wherein parts (molecules) are spread out through the space it fills, God is fully present in every square inch. With a gas, its full quantity is never “fully” in any single part of the space it occupies; that is not true of God—His FULNESS is everywhere there is a “there!” (2.) God is not confined to any single spot—whether in the immaterial realm or material world. For instance, it is not a biblical concept to “invoke” God’s presence. He is already THERE! Consider David’s Psalm—while God is in your church this Sunday, He is also as much in hell as He is in heaven. Such truth, makes statements like, “God cannot even be in the presence of sin” sound a bit foolish! Although we may subjectively “feel” God’s presence through worship and the Word, our experiences never tell the whole story.
Finally, God’s presence should stand as a comfort and a warning to believers. No matter how hellish our experiences in this life seem to be, God is there to provide comfort and care—AND no matter how discreet or sneaky you think you are being, God is fully present when you sin. Not only does He know (omniscience), He is THERE!
Grace and peace, y’all. Soli Deo Gloria